Means for sealing containers



Jan.'29, 1935. J M|LL$ 1,989,491

- MEANS FOR SEALING CONTAINERS FiledAug. 28, 195s :Snventor 20 vpressure is exerted between the Valve and its seat Patented Jan. 29, 1935 UNITED STATE MEANS FOR SEALING CONTAINERS John Mills, Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner to The Food Processing Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Delaware Application August 28, 1933, Serial No. 687,077

2 Claims. (Cl. B20-44) This invention relates to containers of the character shown in United States Patent #1,728,533, and an application of Karl L. Ford, Serial Number 509,169, filed January 16, 1931, and more particularly relates to an improved sealing means for such containers.

In the commercial production and use of containers of the type disclosed in Patent #1,728,533 some trouble has been encountered in establish- Y ing and maintaining a perfect seal of the valve disk under all conditions. This is believed due to the fact that the sealing compound at the valve tends to take a permanent set while under the inuence of the continuousline contact pressure exerted by the valve and its seat. This may result in the pressure gradually easing off with the possibility of actual leakage developing in the course of time.

Furthermore, it will be evident that if sumcient the sealing medium might actually be cut through, thus allowing the same to fall or work away from the single line seal between the valve and its seat.

By the present invention an improved seal has been provided which avoids and overcomes the difliculties sometimes encountered in the original type seal. This new seal is accomplished by employing a Valve disk which has a double linesealing contact at its marginal portion produced byvraised ribs and .which thus establish a zone between the ribs in which zone a portion of the sealing material will be trapped to provide an additional seal. Thus actually three separate seals are provided and the pressure differential between the inside and the outside of the container is distributed over a plurality of seals thereby reducing the tendency to break any one seal. In addition it is impossible to cut through the sealing material and 'the application of the materialfat the proper position is at all times insured. Various other features of the present invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds.

Referring to the drawing:

verse vertical sectional views of the upper portion of a container embodying a valved cover constructed in accordance with the features of the present invention; Fig. 1 showing the valve disk in sealing position, and Fig. 2 in non-sealing position.

Referring tothe drawing more or less in detail, the container 14a is covered with a closure 1a, which is secured'in place by the usual bead- Figs. 1 and 2 are substantially central' transsuitable aperture such as 5a and the disk 10a 5 may have a cooperating hump '7a. The flat portion 4a on the projection 16a forms wide pockets or sealing gulleys 3a which are filledI with suitable sealing material indicated vby the numeral 11a.

The disk a may be formed with a flat portion 6a which is surrounded with a marginal portion having a plurality of ribs 8a thereon. 'Ihe ribs 8a are ordinarily two in number and are fashioned to provide line sealing contact with the sealing material 11a inthe pocket 3a at a plurality of points. The ribs 8a also function to provide a plurality of channels or recesses in the margin of the valve disk 10a into which channels the sealing material 11a can flow to improve 20 the character of `the seal when the valve disk 10a is clamped in position.

Fig. 1 illustrates the relation of the parts when the valve disk 10a is clamped in place by crimping or rolling the sides of the projections 16a 25 about the periphery of the valve disk, and Fig. 2 shows the parts ready for such crimping or rolling operation. 'I'he sealing material 11a lies completely around and between the ribs 8a and a seal has been provided which is superior to the old seal because the tendency to cut through the sealing material is largely eliminated. Likewise a definite intermediate sealing zone is established which holds the sealing material in position and which together with the double line contact formed by the sealing ribs gives a plurality of zonesv for carrying and distributing the differential in pressure on the inside and outside of the seal whereby poor and leaky seals are largely eliminated.

In Aaccordance with the patent statutes one form of the invention has been particularly described and illustrated, however it will be understood. that the scope of the invention is not limited thereto but is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a sheet metal container having 4a cover provided with a hollow circular projection having acircular groove surrounding a at central perforated disk portion, sealing material in the groove and on the disk portion, and a valve movably retained in the projection and having radially spaced annular; ribs opposed to the groove of the projection, a lat portion opv posed to the at portionof the projectionl and a domed central portion opposed to the said aperture, the saidl ribs serving, when the valve seat is forced against the sealing material in the groove and on the disk portion, to conne and compress the sealing material in the space between the ribs.

2. In combination, a sheet metal container having a cover yprovided with a hollow circular projection having a circular groove surrounding a perforated portion, sealing material in the groove, and a valve movably contained in the projection and having radially spaced/ annular ribs opposed to the groove of the projection and a central portion opposed to the said aperture, the said ribs serving, whenthe valve seat is forced against the sealing material, to c onne and compress the sealing material in the space between the ribs.

` JOHN MILLS. 

